HAPPY BIRTHDAY QUINTA DO NOVAL

Christian Seely, Managing Director

'I have
been giving a series of tastings and events recently to celebrate the 300th
anniversary of Quinta do Noval’s existence as a vineyard.

In fact,
there has certainly been a vineyard on the site for longer than that, possibly
much longer. 1715 is the first record of the existence of the vineyard, as it
was part of the inheritance of the young Francisco Álvares Taveira, future
abbot of Gouvães, who had to show documentary proof of his wealth before
becoming the Abbot, (no nonsense about promotion on pure merit in those days)
hence the records. But as it was already a vineyard in 1715, clearly it had
been a vineyard for a while before that. So we are celebrating that Quinta do
Noval is at least three hundred years old, but it is certainly older.

Going even
further back, at the crown of the hill of the Noval estate, there was a Roman
settlement, where among the many Roman artefacts discovered during the
archeological dig in the early 19th century was an area that looked
very much like a wine press. If so, then wine has been made at this site for
over 2,000 years, and I like to believe it, though proof positive is lacking.

But it is
the relatively recent history that concerns us more, the time during which
wines have been made that we can taste today, living memories of the former
life of the vineyard at Noval. I personally have an intimate knowledge of the
past 23 years at Quinta do Noval, the time that I have been responsible for
looking after it having taken over as Managing Director in 1993.

Before
that I mainly know the Quinta’s history through its wines. Among my favourites
are of course the extraordinary 1931, both Vintage Nacional and Quinta do Noval;
the harmonious and elegant 1955 Quinta do Noval, which was one of my primary
inspirations; along with the beautiful delicate and fine 1966, when I started
working on the vineyard and the wines in the early nineties. From the Sixties
also the 1963 Vintage Nacional is and always has been in a category of its own,
rated perfect and great by many distinguished tasters from the time of its
birth to the present day. The Seventies and Eighties were a difficult time for
Port and for Noval, but I have a soft spot for the very delicate finesse of the
Vintage Nacional 1975.

And then
glorious days returned with the wonderful 1994 Vintage Nacional, my first at
the Quinta, and what luck to have arrived just before such a wine. James
Suckling’s 100 points for this wine when he was writing for the Wine Spectator
were a shot in the arm for Noval, a clear signal to the world that this great
vineyard was capable as it always had been of producing greatness. Since then
we have had a series of exceptional years: the 1997, an important year for us
when Robert Parker awarded 100 points to both the Quinta do Noval and the Vintage
Nacional, a right and left, in shooting parlance, that added momentum to the
renaissance of Quinta do Noval’s reputation. The generally declared years of
2000, 2003 and 2007 followed. The Vintage Nacional as always followed its own
rhythm, not producing wine to its normal level in 2007, so not declared, but
making exceptional wines in the lesser known years of 2001 and 2004.

And then
2011. A phenomenon for Port wine in general, certainly one of the great years
in history, with beautiful wines from Quinta do Noval and from the Nacional
parcel. The 2011 Vintage Nacional has already acquired a justified cult status,
garnering 100 points or the equivalent from several different distinguished
wine journalists. I believe that this one is a worthy successor to the
legendary 1963 and 1931, scion of a noble breed, both genetic inheritor of the
greatness of its ancestors, but also with all the strength and vigour of youth,
ready to affront the century to come of long life that certainly lies before
it.

We
declared both 2012 and 2013 Vintage Ports at Quinta do Noval, very small
quantities in both cases, but irresistibly delicious wines. Historically Noval
has been ready to make an eccentric declaration (the 1931 was one such), and so
inspired both by history and the wines themselves we did not hesitate to make
these small declarations, both of which are worthy members of any vertical line
up of historic Quinta do Noval Vintages.

And during
this time of reconnection with the illustrious past through the production of
great modern Vintage Ports, this historic vineyard of Noval has been
reinventing itself as a producer of great unfortified red wines. We launched
our first Quinta do Noval Douro DOC red wine with the 2004 vintage, and our
2012, placed first in a recent extensive tasting of Douro red wines by the
Revista de Vinhos, has just sold out, so we move to the delicious 2013, with
the 2014 and 2015 vintages, among the best ever, waiting in the wings.

In a way,
these new Douro red (and white) wines are also a reconnection with the history
of the property and of the Douro. Fortification of Douro wines only became
general in the first half of the 19th Century. The celebrated Baron
James Forrester, who drowned in the river in 1861, was a strong advocate for
the unfortified wines of the Douro, an indication that their production as
quality wines was general at the time and persisted at least during his
lifetime. There is no question that the development of Port Wine as a fortified
wine led to the evolution of one of the great wines of the world, for which the
Douro is chiefly known today, and no one could love great Port wines more than
I. However, something was surely lost in the gradual eclipse of non fortified
wine making during the 19th century. We will never know how those
wines might have developed had they been the principal focus of Douro wine
production.

What we
know now however, as we catch up for lost time, is that the Douro is capable of
producing world class unfiltered red – and white – wines. The Valley today has
a new dynamic, as dozens of independent producers, some small, some less so,
contribute every year to this thrilling development by producing excellent
wines from all corners of the demarcated area. I find this development wholly
positive for the Douro and its reputation, but also very good news for wine
drinkers all over the world, and I am delighted that Quinta do Noval has been
able to participate in this movement since 2004.

The
history of a great vineyard, like that of a great region, is the product of the
labours of generations of people who went before us and devoted themselves to
their land and their wines. The further back the history, the greater the
accumulation of inherited knowledge and tradition, and this is what we build
upon. But at the same time we are constructing the future for those who will
follow us in these vineyards. So while I wish Quinta do Noval a very Happy
Birthday on the occasion of its proven 300 years, I also wish very many Happy
Returns to this magical vineyard and to the region of which it is at the heart.
Great things have happened here in the past, great things are happening now,
and I am confident that even greater are to come in the future.'

To visit this site, you must be of a legal age to drink alcoholic beverages in your country of residence.By clicking on OK, you acknowledge that you have read and accept unreservedly the site’s conditions of use.Choose your language

LEGAL NOTICE

Website Owner: Quinta do Noval Address: AV. DIOGO LEITE, 256 - 4400 - 111 VILA NOVA DE GAIA - Portugal Email: noval@quintadonoval.pt - Phone: 00351 22 3770270 - Fax: 00351 22 3750365 Design & Development & technical maintenance: PULSIVE Image Credits: Quinta do Noval – David Eley - Vinexia Music: Vincent De Azevedo Conditions of Use & Property: Any reproduction of this site and its content, in part or in whole by whatsoever means, without prior consent is forbidden and would be considered as an act of counterfeit punishable under articles L335-2 and thereafter of the Code of Intellectual Property. Site users are required to respect the provisions of the Data Processing, Files & Liberties Act, any violation of which would expose the offender to criminal sanctions. Most notably and regarding the nominative information to which they have access, users shall refrain from any collection, unlawful use and, more generally, any act likely to affect the private life or reputation of other persons.Host: com-as - www.com-as.fr This website is reserved exclusively for persons of a legal age to drink alcoholic beverages in their country of residence. Please, drink responsibly